Various devices have been produced to aid athletes such as swimmers, runners and calisthenics enthusiasts in counting laps and repetitions. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,266 (the 266 patent) teaches a swimming lap counter housed in a molded plastic case formed with a carrying handle on its top and somewhat resembling a suitcase. In use, the device is positioned by securing a cord to the handle and to some neighboring stationary object or to some separate, heavy, and yet still movable, object such as the hard rubber retrieval brick suggested in the 266 patent. This device provides split timer, elapsed time and lap count information on the display side of the case.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,763 (the 763 patent) teaches a swimming lap counter having a rigid, nonconductive baseplate adapted to be mounted on a swimming pool wall. A normally nonconductive planar pressure sensitive pad is seated on the baseplate and is adapted to become selectively conductive upon application of pressure and thereby, in conjunction with the disclosed circuitry, time the swimmer's trip up and down the pool. The baseplate is made of a rigid, nonconductive material such as polystyrene or polyvinylchloride and has a suggested width of from 4 to 8 feet so that it spans a major portion of the width of a racing lane in a swimming pool. The vertical baseplate is also provided with a rigid horizontal section for attaching the device to a swimming pool gutter or to a starting block.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,768 (the 768 patent) teaches a lap counter having a pair of rigid, spaced, facially confronting electrically conductive plates activated by contact with a face plate. This patent is particularly concerned with preventing false counts and other errors, in part by providing a level of water between the plates which is equivalent to the level of water surrounding the disclosed signaler.
Swiss Patent No. 607,156 teaches a lap counter whose touch pad is a pneumatic bag. Upon application of pressure to the bag, a puff of air is produced which forces a bellows and crank level to rotate a digital display in a bulb-like housing located on the deck of the swimming pool.
Even though all of these prior art devices accurately perform their intended timing and counting functions, they do present certain problems, particularly to the casual, individual athlete, as opposed to those involved in more formal competitive events attended by workers, judges, etc. The problems associated with the above devices generally fall into the categories of transportation convenience, placement, reading and costs. For example, all of the above devices have a rigid, vertical planar face of some kind as part of their overall configuration. This means that, at best, these devices represent distinct pieces of baggage to be carried about by the athlete. The 266 patent recognizes this inherent problem by providing a carrying handle at the top of this suitcase-like device.
The counting devices taught in the 763 and 768 patents do not disclose carrying handles of the type taught in the 266 patent. Moreover, the 763 and 768 devices are generally characterized by their having large, rigid planes and smaller rigid vertical planes which are used for affixing these devices to swimming pool gutters, to the edges of swimming pools and to starting blocks. All of these characteristics imply that such devices (1) can not be conveniently carried, e.g., in the handbags or gym bags frequently used by athletes, (2) can not be stored in those clothes lockers typically found in locker rooms and (3) can not be conveniently carried by an individual. They are also relatively complex and/or expensive.
After being transported by whatever means, the above noted prior art devices then must be anchored for use at the end of a swim lane by whatever means available and/or dictated by the size and configuration of each particular device. For example, the counter of the 266 patent uses its carrying handle to receive and tie one end of a cord whose other end is tethered to some stationary object near the pool. However, convenient stationary objects may not exist at every poolside; the cord may extend some distance from the edge of the pool and therefore represent a hazard to people walking inthe poolside area; the cord may be forgotten; or a heavy but still portable object, such as the diving brick suggested in the 266 patent, may not be available at the pool and, if present, it may itself present a hazard to those walking in the poolside area.
Moreover, the above prior art devices are somewhat limited to swim lap counting. This follows from their large, rigid structures and from their having an L-shaped cross sectional configuration. They can not, for example, be conveniently used to count pushups via contact with the athlete's chest as it is lowered to floor level. That is to say, if these devices were placed under the athlete's chest, the chest would tend to touch the raised area under the perpendicular base portion of their L configurations rather than their touch pads which are typically located on the stem portion of the L which would be inclined relative to a floor when these devices were positioned for contact with the user's chest.